hi, welcome back to belfast. the general feeling l earlier? hi, welcome back to - belfast.ere earlier? hi, welcome back to - belfast. the generalfeeling here is that president biden ticked all of the boxes with his speech. every word had been poured over, obviously, and agreed on. he stuck to what felt like a very carefully honed script during the speech, when he hoped the executive and assembly would be stored as quickly as possible, he said of course this is not a decision for him. he praised the windsor framework, we are expecting to do that, and really crucially he pledged continuous us help, both economic and political, for northern ireland. we are seeing pictures of president biden, who has landed in dublin. we'll be keeping across those live pictures. for now, here in belfast, lots of people are reflecting on the words that he had particularly for the young people in the room at ulster university. he said that young people are on the of the future, and incredibly optimistic message for those that were there. i'm delighted to say that owen miller and rebecca mallon fr

, the protestant, east belfast, west belfast, rhghh— east belfast, west belfast, rhghh aoee— east belfastof american money in northern ireland and he's eerhahhhy— northern ireland and he's certainly saying there's more . certainly saying there's more. hha— certainly saying there's more. aha hhah-e— certainly saying there's more. and that's quite— certainly saying there's more. and that's quite against the how— and that's quite against the how or— and that's quite against the how or hhe— and that's quite against the flow of the philosophy which he had been— flow of the philosophy which he had been promoting since heoorhhhg— had been promoting since becoming president, because he is becoming president, because he he guhhe— becoming president, because he is quite protectionist towards hohe— is quite protectionist towards rope ehayhhg— is quite protectionist towards rope ehayhhg hh— is quite protectionist towards jobs staying in america rather hhah— jobs staying in america rather than travelling— jobs staying in america rather than travelling overseas . so than travelling overseas. so i hhhhh

emma vardy, bbc news, belfast.to meet representatives of the main political parties in northern ireland tomorrow. the devolved government there was suspended more than a year ago, after the dup withdrew its support, in protest at post—brexit trading arrangements. our political editor, chris mason, is in belfast. it's a short trip forjoe biden to northern ireland butjust sum up its potential significance. this visit has been pencilled into the diaries of diplomats on both sides of the atlantic for the best part of a year now, such is the significance of this anniversary, 25 years on from the signing of the good friday agreement, and this evening the visit is under way. we can show you some additional pictures of the president getting of air force one in last half an hour or so, shaking hands with rishi sunak, who was on the tarmac to greet him, in the wind and occasional rain in northern ireland this evening. they will have a meeting face—to—face in the morning ahead of the president chris bridge that emma was refer

welcome to belfast, the wider public? welcome to belfast. it _ the wider public? to belfast, it is _ the wider public? welcome to belfast, it is very _ the wider public? welcome to belfast, it is very noisy - the wider public? welcome to belfast, it is very noisy so - the wider public? welcome to belfast, it is very noisy so i i belfast, it is very noisy so i apologise if you hear the clanging of machinery but all of the security apparatus is being taken down. as you mentioned, president biden has already moved on, he has landed in the republic of ireland and has been met by the taoiseach there. terms of in what people are making of it, you have used a few words that many people in northern ireland would agree with, they found it to be a passionate speech from a man who they felt was very authentic. he talks about the time when he was a senator when the good friday agreement was being negotiated. people really felt that for a very long time president biden has cared about what happens here in northern ireland. he has also —— it was also felt it was a speech... he

we are live in belfast lookinu agreement. we are live in belfast lookin: at agreement.e are live in belfast looking at people's _ agreement. we are live in belfast looking at people's expectation i agreement. we are live in belfast looking at people's expectation of the visit and talking to people about their memories of the good friday agreement signed at 25 years ago and what they want from the future. �* ., ., , ., future. and “unior doctors and encland future. and junior doctors and england have _ future. and junior doctors and england have started - future. and junior doctors and england have started a - future. and junior doctors and l england have started a four-day england have started a four—day strike, a quarter ofi million appointments and operations set to be counseled. —— cancelled. hello and welcome to bbc news. we start with the international monetary fund, which has published their prediction for the year ahead. global growth will shrink in 2023 from 3.4% last year to 2.8% this year. the economies in germany and the uk will shrink. the imf also expects h

supporting the people of northern ireland, protecting the peace, preserving the belfast. dennis belfast good friday agreement is a priority for democrats and republicans alike in the united states. and that is unusual today because we've been very divided on our parties. this is something that brings washington together, it brings america together. i spoke about this with northern ireland's political leaders as well as on our saint patrick's day celebration at the white house. it has been a key focus for me throughout my career. i remember working as a senator to see how the united states could support and encourage bit by bit any moves toward peace. i got elected in 1972 as a 29 year old kid to the united states senate and it was just the start of it. i mean, it seemed like it was a goal that was so far away. i remember coming here, as i said in 91 seeing this city divided and barricaded. then in 94 when the cease fire was declared, it was like a sea change. tide of violence began to recede. hope rolling in. in 1998, overwhelming joy. it's hard to communicate just how de

oh, by not to say in belfast for president biden. spend a lot of that speech really talking about the gains if the good friday agreement that is this landmark peace accord from 1998 that put an end to decades of sectarian conflict and violence here in northern ireland that claimed thousands of lives and everybody i've spoken to here in belfast, no matter what site of this really just divide. they fall on a said that the good friday agreement is something which should be celebrated and that there are people alive here in northern ireland that may not have been otherwise had that deadly violence continued. so biden really paying tribute to those. he said that have been working to maintain that peace. he said peace was not inevitable. and of course, he talked a lot about prosperity in northern ireland as well. he talked about potential for investment in the reach, and he talked about unleashing potential. this visit, however, is seen as somewhat bitter sweet because despite the fact that peace has endured across this quarter century, so

this week for landmark belfast. good friday agreement signed and it wasn't easy and there are no guarantees that the deal on paper were whole, no guarantees that would be able to deliver the progress we celebrate today. and just took a long, hard years of work to get to this place. the agreement ended 3 decades of bloodshed between mainly catholic nationalists, who opposed british rule in northern ireland and mainly protestant unionists who supported it. thousands were killed in bombings and other attacks. under the usb to the agreement, paramilitary groups laid down their arms direct you to a rule was brought to an end and a power sharing government was set up in northern ireland. instead. the piece has been a lasting success, but the government collapsed a year ago in a row over trade rules following breakfast. some hope that biden's visit will jo, local politicians into action, hoping it might give them a check to say, right, i'm only asking you to get back here and actually we're being patriot run the country be

it's good to see belfast, the city that's alive with commerce, art, and i would argue inspiration. the dividends of peace are all around us. and this very campus is situated in intersection where conflict and bloodshed once held a terrible sway. the idea, as i said to have a glass building here when i was here in 1991, was highly unlikely. where barbed wire once sliced up the city, today, we find cathedral -- a cathedral of learning build of glass and let the shine light out in, in and out. it just has a profound impact. and for someone who's come back to see it. you know, it's incredible testament to the power and the possibilities of peace. 25 years ago this week, the landmark belfast good friday agreement was signed, and it wasn't easy. i was a united states senator at the time, and i worked very closely with my good friend, george mitchell, who will be here, i believe, in a couple of days. and there were no guarantees that the deal on paper would hold, no guarantees that it would be able to deliver the progress we celebrate today. in this took long, hard years to work -- of wor

. , , ,., politics we saw playing out in belfast. , , , ., ., , belfast.fast. yes, he is so proud of his heritage. he says _ belfast. yes, he is so proud of his heritage. he says himself- belfast. yes, he is so proud of his heritage. he says himself he - belfast. yes, he is so proud of his heritage. he says himself he was| heritage. he says himself he was brought up on stories of the faith and fortitude of his relatives that left ireland. i will read one quote from 2016, he said i grew up in a household where my grandfather and grandmother finnegan, all my mother because my brothers and father told us about the courage and commitment it took us to emigrate to ireland, to distant shores where they didn't know what awaited them. —— emigrate from ireland. ile know what awaited them. -- emigrate from ireland-— from ireland. he has been an active member of— from ireland. he has been an active member of the _ from ireland. he has been an active member of the irish-american - from ireland. he has been an active| member of the irish-american lobby member of the ir

david: sarah smith in belfast.raine, take best area is now covered in -- a vast area is now covere in landmines. more than 700 said to have died because of them. the areas on this map denote the parts of the country contaminated minds -- mines. st are concentrated in the kharkiv region where it will take decades to clear. in a moment, we will hear from james waterhouse about the scale of the problem, but first, let's hear about how he and his team gained access to the area. >> landmines have is been a part of the warfare. in this conflict, we have seen the russian side use them in large numbers. when they retreated from the central region, we saw them deployed in areas they used to occupy. in the east, where there is heavy fighting, both lines have used that. we wanted to get a sense of the longer-term implications of that, so we got in touch with the state emergency services. they allowed us to join their teams as they responded to calls for explosives to be removed. the first day, we did not find any landmines, j

this is east belfast. you have kids from west belfast, you have kids from north belfast, they all come over. in here, them kids wouldn't bother each other. this is where they meet, and now they are friends. they would have never met each other just walking about the streets of belfast. the boys, too, know that peace on the streets of belfast is fragile. “if you are passing certain areas that are catholic or protestant . if they know you are protestant, they might not like it. but most of the time, it's not like that. they're sort of calmed down on that, and they're more forgiving. ” just around the corner, protestant paramilitaries loyal to britain are hailed as heroes of past battles. they still hold sway, as do the catholic troops loyal to ireland. so-called “peace walls” divide the neighborhoods. bombay street in belfast is in a catholic area. most nights are quiet now, but since brexit, the locals feel more tension in the air. it's worse. that's caused even more divide between the two sides of the comm

here in belfast, rosie birch out there in belfast. let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. germany's health minister callout up aha's outline plans to partially legalize cannabis possessing and growing small amounts of marijuana would be allowed for private use if parliament backs the measures to sail of cannabis would be restricted during a 5 year testifies. serious foreign minister pfizer mac dud is in saudi arabia. on the 1st visit by a senior day diplomat from damascus in more than 10 years. saudi arabia's hosting talks about syria returning to the arab league. its membership was suspended when president bashar al assad crackdown on protests. ukraine has rejected russian claims to have captured more than 80 percent of the eastern city of back mount. keith says its forces control considerably more than 20 percent. the head of russia's wagner, merson regroup, says his fighters are advancing. federal agents in the u. s. are investigating higher classified intelligence documents surfaced on so

a huge security operation is in place in belfast ahead of the i in place in belfast ahead of the arrivalter of hours. greeted by rishi sunak, presidentjoe biden will leave around 2pm tomorrow to travel across the border for three days of engagements and dublin. i have to say, a number of the newspapers there have day by day guides of a president biden is going to be doing when he visits dublin. stars & stripes also appearing across the land is also making headlines in america and here's a taste with the us networks are running earlier today. l115 us networks are running earlier toda . ,, , g ., �* , us networks are running earlier toda. ,, , �* ,., today. us president joe biden is on his wa to today. us president joe biden is on his way to northern _ today. us president joe biden is on his way to northern ireland - today. us president joe biden is on his way to northern ireland which l his way to northern ireland which will mark 20 years since the good friday peace accord was signed. he travels to northern ireland to mark the 25th _ travels to northern ireland to mark the 25th anniversar

so today, i come to belfast _ whole by peace. so today, i come to belfast to _ whole by peace.erve. it matters to us, to americans, and to me personally. it genuinely— americans, and to me personally. it genuinely matters if you travel in my country. so let's celebrate 25 extraordinary years by recommitting to renewal, — extraordinary years by recommitting to renewal, repair, by making this exceptional— to renewal, repair, by making this exceptional peace the birthright of every— exceptional peace the birthright of every child in northern ireland for all the _ every child in northern ireland for all the days to come. that's what we should _ all the days to come. that's what we should be _ all the days to come. that's what we should be doing, god willing to be able to— should be doing, god willing to be able to do— should be doing, god willing to be able to do it. thank you for listening. _ able to do it. thank you for listening, and may god bring you the peace _ listening, and may god bring you the peace we _ listening, and may god bring you the peace we need. thank you. applau

emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. yes, it is pretty wet in belfast.ficance of the us president making this trip? any visit by a us president to the uk, particularly northern ireland, is significant, but it is one that has been in diplomatic discussion for the best part of a year at least. the exact form and duration of the visit was always going to be tempered and moulded by the politics of northern ireland at the time of the visit. there was relief in washington, just as there was in london, that there was a successful recasting of the brexit arrangement for northern ireland, the so—called windsor framework. that's what has made this visit possible. but the real prize was the restoration of power—sharing devolved government here in belfast, that has not happened yet. so i think that is a contributor to a dial down sense of itineraries from both the president and prime minister. yes, they will meet, as the president arrives tonight, but that is pretty much it in terms of us seeing the two of them together. yes, they will have a meeting tomorrow, and t

this is east belfast. you have kids from west belfast, you have kids from north belfast, they all come over. in here, them kids wouldn't bother each other. this is where they meet, and now they are friends. they would have never met each other just walking about the streets of belfast. the boys, too, know that peace on the streets of belfast is fragile. “if you are passing certain areas that are catholic or protestant . if they know you are protestant, they might not like it. but most of the time, it's not like that. they're sort of calmed down on that, and they're more forgiving. ” just around the corner, protestant paramilitaries loyal to britain are hailed as heroes of past battles. they still hold sway, as do the catholic troops loyal to ireland. so-called “peace walls” divide the neighborhoods. bombay street in belfast is in a catholic area. most nights are quiet now, but since brexit, the locals feel more tension in the air. it's worse. that's caused even more divide between the two sides of the comm

belfast has a lot of promise and a good future. becoming a place for artificial intelligence. more investment will help morejobs. particularly into the areas that are less affluent and areas that have maybe not got as much investment or innovation. you have already — much investment or innovation. you have already touched on some of the things people have said to me about their frustrations with the political process at the moment because what they care about is health, education, the cost of living. they are really frustrated about the fact that progress can't be made in some of those areas. people have also said to me there are still deep divisions here in society. what would you do to try to heal some of those? i had a great conversation with some 14—year—old boys yesterday, one was protestant and one was catholic and they go to and one was catholic and they go to an integrated school with their friends, but others have said, we are still a very divided society. northern ireland is still divided. there are still peace walls. a l

and on belfast�*s falls road came a historic moment. public handshake between a us president and the leader of what many still believe to be the political wing of the ira. bill clinton's visit helped pave the way for sinn fein tojoin peace talks. there was some political pressure, wasn't there, for him not to come here? what did that handshake achieve for you? well, it was a very clear symbolic indication to this community, which had suffered grievously, that the president of the usa was recognising them and other communities as well, of course. but this stretch of the road, you only walk the length of yourself. somebody died here, you know, while at the hands of british soldiers that they are, you see, orthe ira or the loyalists. and it was a moment of unquestionable symbolism. there's long been a strong connection with ireland for millions of americans with irish ancestry. there is president kennedy. whenjohn f kennedy visited ireland, he described it as the best four days of his life. and joe biden has often spoken of his family's ir

live from belfast, this is bbc news.'s leaders as he meets british prime minister rishi sunak on the 25th anniversary of the good friday agreement. in the next hour, president biden is due to speak here at ulster university in belfast. we will bring you that live. our other main story: elon musk tells the bbc he is confident twitter�*s advertisers will return and he can make the company profitable once again but that it hasn't been easy.

emma vardy, bbc news, belfast.epublic of ireland — where he will stay until friday. 0ur north america editor, sarah smith, is travelling with him. and this a very different couple of days ahead from his time here in belfast? yes, you can see from his body language already how much more relaxed to the president is now that he is in the republic. he has already described it as feeling like he is coming home. this is the part of the trip he has been really looking forward to. already he's been saying to people that he doesn't understand why anybody would ever leave ireland. by that, he is talking about his ancestors, who emigrated to america in the middle of the 19th century, and whose roots he has been exploring already this afternoon in county louth. tomorrow, he does have official engagements. you will be meeting the irish president, addressing the irish parliament and he will be dining with the taoiseach but a lot of this trip is quite personal. by friday he will be in county mayo, once again exploring some of his

joe biden arrives in dublin after a visit to belfast to mark 25 years of peace in northern ireland and nasa unveils it's mar simulator. volunteers will live in the facility for a year to test what life would be like for future missions to earth's neighbor. ah, i'm pablo. only us welcome to the program. china is planning to close air space north of taiwan later this week. as beijing turns up, the heat on its neighbor, taiwan says china has notified is that a no fly zone will be imposed for half an hour on april 16th. china has ended 3 days of military drills around taiwan following a trip to the us by the islands president when chinese president choosing ping has raised the stakes by calling on china's military to train for quote, actual combat. well the don't use china expert clifford kernan is here with me in studio and has been following this story closely. clifford great to see. so actual combat now, is this a power move or do you think beijing is actually planning an attack? i think it's a power move. i mean it's, it's scary language. it's designed to, to unsettled people. it's des

charlotte gallagher in belfast.ya mcclements, northern editor at the irish times. g row grow up in belfast during the troubles. can you tell us what it was like for you? the troubles. can you tell us what it was like for you?— troubles. can you tell us what it was like for you? the way to sum it u - , was like for you? the way to sum it u, it is was like for you? the way to sum it up. it is very _ was like for you? the way to sum it up, it is very similar— was like for you? the way to sum it up, it is very similar to _ was like for you? the way to sum it up, it is very similar to what - was like for you? the way to sum it up, it is very similar to what your. up, it is very similar to what your corresponded outline, it isjust completely different. i grew up in a rural village in county derry. even though we were not in the heart of the city and the heart of the trouble is things like checkpoints and bombings, my own family's business was blown up in a bomb when i was 11, things like this were just part of everyday an

belfast. today, vape starter kits will be offered to almost 1 in 5 smokers in england . officials say it's the first scheme of its kind to be rolled out nationwide. it comes after the government announced plans to crack down on the illegal sale of vapes to under 18. more than 150 pubs across england and wales have shut over the first three months of this year. that's almost a 60% increase in the rate of those being redeveloped amid rising energy bills and food prices . the bills and food prices. the british beer and pub association predicts the average energy for bill a pub could rise by over £18,000 a year . bill a pub could rise by over £18,000 a year. gales of up to 60mph, along with heavy rain are forecast to hit parts of the uk over the next two days. a yellow warning for wind will be in place from 3:00 for the west coast and northern ireland, with another warning for south—west of england and south wales tomorrow . meanwhile, the tomorrow. meanwhile, the environment agency has issued eig

president biden begins a visit to the republican of ireland after a stop in belfast marked 25 years of peace in northern ireland. and drafted by email. russia overhauls its conscription law, making it easier to recruit soldiers and nearly impossible to dodge the draft. and germany is about to legalize pot. owning, growing, and using small amounts of cannabis will soon be permitted. ♪ i am brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. we begin tonight with news that china is beginning to close airspace north of taiwan later this week. taiwan says china has notified it that a no-fly zone will be imposed for half an hour on april 16. china has ended three days of military drills around taiwan following a trip to the u.s. by the president -- by the island's president. chinese president xi jinping has raised the stakes by calling on china's military to train, and i'm quoting here, for actual combat. eric gomez is a senior fellow at the cato institute. i asked him how the dangerous the situation is now. eric: i think in the short

emma vardy, bbc news, belfast.litical editor chris mason on the significance of this trip. this visit has been pencilled into the diaries of diplomats on both sides of the atlantic for the best part of a year now, such as the significance of this anniversary, 25 years on from the signing of the good friday agreement. and here we are this evening with the visit under way. we can show you some additional pictures of the president getting off air force one in the last half hour or so, shaking hands with rishi sunak who was there on the tarmac to greet him in the wind and occasional little burst of rain. the visit to northern ireland by the president as opposed to the wider trip to the republic is actually pretty short, all of the diplomatic conversations of the last year about this moment, he will be here for about 15 hours, around half of which he will be a bed. i think the political impasse here locally has played into that. there can't be some grand moment of smiles, the restoration of power—sharing devolved govern

here in belfast copies rosie brush up there. now ukrainian president vladimir zalinski denounced rashana redness day after the emergence of a video on social media. but fortunately, showing the execution of a captured ukrainian soldier, it has not been possible to independently verify the footage which has sparked international outreach. brutal and gruesome footage has appeared on social media. the video allegedly shows what appears to be a russian soldier. cutting off the head of a captured ukrainian prisoner of war. screams can be heard as a voice in the background says, do it. the video which appears to have been recorded last year is now the focus of international attention. have more information or information on the veracity of the video. having said that, if confirmed this is yet another brutal reminder about the inhumane nature of the russian aggression killing of prisoners of war is a very serious breach of the geneva convention and demonstrates once more russia's complete disregard of international law and particular i

focu5ing was at ul5ter university in belfast city centre.hat politicians president biden took to make the compromi5e5 nece55ary politicians president biden took to make the compromi5e5 necessary for the peace deal. jerry adams a5 make the compromi5e5 necessary for the peace deal. jerry adams as you say, the leader at the time of sinn fein, which was the political wing of the irish republican army, the ira, the most lethal paramilitary group during the conflict in northern ireland. jerry ireland two adams and others led the broader iri5h republican movement from gun5 iri5h republican movement from guns to government. he led the republican movement along the path to peace, and eventually sinn fein took its place in the power—sharing regional government in belfast. and it was a former ira commander who ended up jointly running the power—sharing to evolved government in belfast. that is part of the story of the peace process, the conflict and peace process, the conflict and peace process in northern ireland, which is regarded as being a high poi

in belfast.our man in belfast. matt labouring the point. sir ken— matt labouring the point. sir keir starmer_ matt labouring the point. sir keir starmer says he will make absolutely— keir starmer says he will make absolutely zero.— keir starmer says he will make absolutely zero. apologies for being— absolutely zero. apologies for being blunt— absolutely zero. apologies for being blunt after his party's cnncnen— being blunt after his party's criticised for— being blunt after his party's criticised for its— being blunt after his party's criticised for its twitter attack— criticised for its twitter attack on — criticised for its twitter attack on rishi sunak. but now former— attack on rishi sunak. but now former labour— attack on rishi sunak. but now former labour home secretary david— former labour home secretary david blunkett_ former labour home secretary david blunkett says the party snonm— david blunkett says the party snonm no— david blunkett says the party should do better than gutter pennies

this is east belfast. you have kids from west belfast. you have kids from north belfast and they all come over them. kat in here, the kids wouldn't bother each other. and he this is where they meet at ward of got another friends. they would have never met each other on the streets of belfast. free to fail for the boys to know that piece on the streets of belfast is fragile. if you're past in certain areas that are ca flicker protestant. um if they know your protestant that might not like it. but most of the time, a small, i got that they're sort of om, combine on that on there. more forgiven. just around the corner, protestant paramilitaries loyal to britain are hailed as heroes of past battles. they still hold sway as do. the catholic troops loyal to ireland, so called peace walls, divide the neighborhoods bombay street in belfast is in a catholic area. most nights are quiet now, but since breck said the locals feel more tension in the air to source, you know, that's caused even more debate between the 2 sides of the community. because w

i think belfast, because of our history, is kind of divided into those four areas.bly why, as well. good friday agreement is amazing, but i also know that we are maybe not where we said we would be. but i also know that we are maybe and you know, with not a running government, as well, just kind of shows you that we still have a lot to work out. but here, you know, we still have peace, which is a big thing. those who lived through the troubles remember how difficult travel could be. i would never have dreamt of traveling east to west or, you know, beyond my district, because maybe we just didn't have the same feelings of safety. my kids now, i am pleased to say, there's no boundaries. the glider very much, you know, it's notjust about connecting people, it's connecting communities, and that's probably an unintended consequence in many ways. some might say it's a symbol of how things have changed. you know, that certainly wouldn't have been a done thing in the past. the mobility that people have in saying, i'm going to move to downtown belfast — something that was vi

he's only visiting belfast and he's eniw— only visiting belfast and he's only-one— only visiting belfast joe biden's air force one taking off. will touch down taking off. he will touch down in ireland in, what, in northern ireland in, what, probably about 6.5 hours time now 50 pubs a now anyway. more than 50 pubs a month are closing across uk, month are closing across the uk, believe or not. i will find believe it or not. i will find out exactly why why it's such a tough time to own a boozer. and it's more than just pub, isn't it's more than just a pub, isn't it? especially many rural it? especially in many rural parts country. it's the parts of the country. it's the beating heart and the lifeblood of a community. can't of a community. we can't lose our christys our pubs. i'm patrick christys on britain's news channel welcome back. lots to get through. now to an extra ordinary revelation about prince william and prince harry. it's been claimed that the late queen wanted both men to fight the taliban in afghanistan 2001. taliban in afghanistan in 2001. she apparently said, my grandsons ta

charlotte gallagher, bbc news, belfast.is in belfast today. welcome to belfast and the lyric, a theatre on the banks of the river lagan, which threads its way through a city which has seen years of conflict and in some places remains divided. today, this is a place of hope and a space which brings people together to tell their stories. and that's what we're going to be doing throughout the day here on bbc news, as northern ireland marks 25 years since the signing of the good friday or belfast agreement. an agreement that brought peace but an imperfect peace. the agreement guaranteed power sharing in government between nationalist and unionist communities. but for more than a third of its lifetime, there hasn't been a sitting government at stormont. and tonight, belfast welcomes president biden. huge security presence in the city when i walked through this morning. we understand he will meet leaders from all political parties tomorrow at an event at ulster university. people will be watching and listening to see if this amer

ben: it's good to talk to you, chris, live in belfast for us.robinson, it's good to have you with us tonight. chris they're running through some of the history to this and some of those changes. i wonder first of all how you would characterize the achievements of the good friday agreements. >> is very hard to capture in a few minutes, and i'm glad we are having lots of opportunity to mark the anniversary. we've talked for three days about the importance of the agreement. so many people were involved. it mattered so much. i remember as president going to warrington after a terrible bombing there, being the irish president, taking part in the warrington project to bring peace afterwards. i remember the suffering, the terrible trauma. 3500 people were killed and many others suffered and stl suffer trauma. this agreement in its complexity and constructive ambiguity is a wonderful example for the world. it is known all around the world. when i became commissioner of human rights, at the time of the agreement, because i finished my term in september 1

the belfast good friday _ the belfast good friday agreement will always be remembered as one of the mostn this room created it. it's many of you in this room created it. it�*s humbling to be with you today. and with the people of northern ireland, who have endured so much. after three long decades where violence and terror were part of everyday life, a generation has grown up in a place that is vastly more peaceful and prosperous and more peaceful and prosperous and more at ease with itself. of course, we meet here today in circumstances that are far from perfect. but my argument today is this. the belfast good friday agreement remains the best and only foundation for peace and prosperity. and if we can take inspiration and instruction from the way peace was achieved 25 years ago, we can fulfil the true promise enshrined in the agreement. the promise of stable, devolved government, a prosperous economy and a more united society. that�*s the future for northern ireland. the one we must build. to do that, we must first ask why. why did peace talks succeed in 1998 when so many had failed be

she told me more about what joe biden had to say in belfast. will president biden had a message for the people of northern ireland? he said, your history is our history and your future is our future. he said 25 years ago. the u. s. took a bet on northern ireland, and that's ready to double down on that bets. he spoke of the potential to unleash more for asperity in northern ireland. he said that since the good friday agreement, g d p has doubled and he said he predicts it could triple if things keep moving in the right direction. but of course that doesn't spell of any sort of a threat there. but there is a suggestion, but this trip, despite it being on occasion to mark a celebration 25 years of peace of peace that has endured. for some brent, it's a bitter sweet visit and that's because while that piece spell died in the good friday agreement, the belfast good friday agreement has remained the institutions that it spells out that it lays out in the document while they are simply not functioning properly. there is no fully functioning devolved

live from belfast, this is bbc news. joe biden promises to listen to northern ireland's leaders as he meets british prime minister rishi sunak on the 25th anniversary of the good friday agreement. in the next hour, president biden is due to speak here at ulster university in belfast. we will bring you that live. our other main story: elon musk tells the bbc he is confident twitter�*s advertisers will return and he can make the company profitable once again but that it hasn't been easy. it's been really quite a stressful situation over the last several months. not an easy one. but apart from the pain, i mean, so it's been quite painful. we are expecting president biden to arrive here as you'll see university soon and to address students inside. we have spoken to them already today. a huge sense of anticipation inside the university, it is not often that you have a president in town and is the world spotlight on your country. a lot of expectation around what he will say, the words he will use today. we know he will talk ab

ten grounds are included in the bid, with belfast�*s casement park and everton�*s bramley—moore dock,diums, selected to host matches. the bid has been backed by all five football assoications, with turkey the other candidate to host the tournament. barcelona have made two attempts to sign lyon forward ada hegerberg this year, but both offers were turned away by the european champions. the former ballon d'or winner has one year remaining on her contract at lyon. barcelona's most recent attempt was in the summer when contract talks began, and it's understood the offer included a substantial wage fee. lebronjames says, "getting to april and having an opportunity to play in the post—season" is what sport is all about as led the la lakers into the nba play—offs with a dramatic comeback win over the minnesota timberwolves. james scored 30 points as the lakers overturned a is—point deficit to win by 6 in overtime. the lakers made their worst start to a season for 65 years, losing their first five games but will now face the memphis grizzlies in the play—offs with game i on sunday. this was d

from belfast, laura cullen reports.2 months of talks to largely end three decades of conflict. through it all, these leaders kept their sense of purpose. and in the end, they delivered an agreement that's fair and balanced and offers hope for the people of northern ireland. the agreement was based on the idea of cooperation between communities, and set up a new government representing both nationalists and unionists. a copy of it went to every household in northern ireland, and almost a million people voted in the referendum that followed. the result, as predicted, but definitive — northern ireland was ready for change. yes, 71.12%. cheering but the path has been far from smooth. # light up, light up...# the anniversary was officially marked last week, in a stormont where the devolved executive and assembly aren't currently sitting. the democratic unionist party is refusing to go into government over brexit arrangements. the prime minister, though, is looking forward. rishi sunak paid tribute to those who signed the agr

also coming up, you as president joe by begins a visit to the republic of ireland after a trip to belfast, to mark 25 years of peace in northern ireland and drafted by email, russia, overhauls. it's conscription law making it easier to recruit soldiers and nearly impossible to dodge the draft. and germany is about to legalize pot the growth possession and personal use of small amounts of cannabis will soon be permitted. ah, i'm bring. gov is good to have you with us. we begin tonight with news that china is planning to close air space north of taiwan. later this week to i once has the china have notified that a no fly zone will be imposed for half an hour. on april 16th, china has ended 3 days of military drills around taiwan following a trip to the us by the islands. president sy, in gwen chinese president, she's been paying, has raised the stakes by calling on china's military to train for quote, actual combats, moral that in just a moment. you as president joe biden, he is in the republic of ireland after a trip to northern ireland. today to mark the 25th anniversary of the good friday

security in belfast is tight. his visit comes to the time of political uncertainty in the region, which is a currently, an without a functioning government. a correspondent of rosie burch our day is in the northern irish capital belfast at welcome rosie. what can we expect to hear from the presidents later? well, phil, i'm outside auster, university in belfast for president biden is due to deliver a speech, his only public facing engagement during this trip to belfast. there's plenty of police around. there's also a small crowd gathered here. some of them don't think joe biden is a welcome guest, but most that i spoke to are eagerly awaiting his arrival. but he is currently as we, as far as i understand busy in a meeting with the u. k. prime minister re she soon as they are due to discuss ukraine of course the u, as in united kingdom, both big backers of key is, but i think top of the agenda really will be the political situation here in northern ireland because of course, biden is here. to march, to celebrate 25

this is east belfast. you have kids from west belfast. you have kids from north belfast and they all come over them kids in here . the kids wouldn't bother each other and here this is where they meet. is ward of another friends. they would have never met each other on the streets of belfast. they to fail for the boys to know that piece on the streets of belfast is fragile. if you're past in certain areas that are conflict partisan. um, if you, if they know your protestant that might my, like i thought most of the time a small i got that they're sort of um. com vinyl on there more forgiven. just around the corner, protestant paramilitaries loyal to britain are held as heroes of past battles. they still hold sway as do. the catholic troops loyal to ireland, so called peace walls, divide the neighborhoods bombay street in belfast is in a catholic area. most nights are quiet now, but since breck said the locals feel more tension in the air to source, you know, that's caused even more debate between the 2 sides of the community. because we're

he flew into dublin from belfast on _ to us. he flew into dublin from belfast on air _ to us.e flew into dublin from belfast on air force _ to us. he flew into dublin from belfast on air force one, - to us. he flew into dublin from belfast on air force one, and i belfast on air force one, and was greeted by the irish prime minister, leo varadkar. then on to carlingford and under. despite the rain, crowds lined the streets to welcome one of the streets to welcome one of the world's most powerful men. today, it is back to business in dublin, meeting the irish president and then speaking in the parliament. it is only the fourth us president to be invited to do so. then he is on the road again, meeting his cousins in county mayo where us flags are already flying high. while his trip may be a symbolic and diplomatic one, it is also a personal one. charlotte gallagher, bbc news, dublin. yes, he has a very full agenda today. full coverage throughout the day here on bbc news, and we'll more in business in about 25 minutes. there's a lot more detail on our website — just head to bbc.co